Box



Aug. 2, 1932. R. wURzBuRG 1,869,927l

BOX

Filed Jem.v 25. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l dimmi "Huh:

Aug. 2, 1932. R, WURZBURG 1,869,927

BOX

Filed Jan. 25. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Rayma/Zd Wrzbuy.

Patented Aug. 2, 1932 REGINALD WRZBURG, OF'MEMPHES, TENNESSEE BOX Application filed January 25, 1930. Serial No. 423,323.

My said invention relates to a box or a container of the type commonly made from corrugated fiber board, cardboard, solid fiber board and the like and used for shipping merchandise, for stocking merchandise, for storage of records and for other analogous purposes. It is an object of my invention to provide means whereby a box of this character can be closed in such a manner as to be dust-proof, to be securely fastened and yet to be quickly and easily opened.

Another object of my invention is to provide a box of this character with reinforcing means for fitting it to carry heavy articles or materials without being injured.

Referring to the drawings, which are made a part of this application and in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of one form of a box according to my invention, this being shown in knock-down condition,

Fig. 2, a perspective of the same set up and ready for closing,

Fig. 3, a similar View showing the box fully closed and ready for shipping` or other use,

Fig. el, a perspective of a modified form,

Fig. 5, a similar view of the box ininverted position,

Fig. 6, a similar view of another modification, and

Fig. 7, a perspective of the box of Fig. 6 turned end for end to show the opposite side face of the box.

In the drawings, reference character 10 indicates what may be designated as the body of the box comprising sides and ends. Conventional flap members 11 and 12 are formed integral with the end members, or are attached thereto in any conventional manner so as to fold inward above and below the contents of the box. Upper flap members 13 are attached to the sides of the box, or formed integral therewith, and similar flap members llt at the bottom are similarly connected to the side members at their lower ends, all as known in the art. A flexible strip 15 is secured to one side of the box in any convenient manner as by means of adhesive, by gluing, stitching, sewing, bradding or in any other convenient manner at one end, the other end being left free for attachment to the opposite side of the box in similar mann-er, or it may be attached by means of some such mechanical fastener as the one hereinafter described. This girth member serves to hold the flaps 14;, 14 firmly in closed position at the bottom of the box. A flexible flap member 16 is attached over a part of one of its faces to the left hand fiap la in Fig. 2 in such a way as 6o to permit th-e free portion of said face to be secured to the other flap 14 when the same is folded down, this being preferably done by means of adhesive material, which may be provided in dry form on the appropriate face of the strip 16. The strip 16 is long enough so that its ends may extend up at the ends of the box and be secured to such ends so as to reinforce the box by holding the fiaps 14; firmly in position, said strip also serving to s-eal the longitudinal joint at the bottom of the box between fiaps 14 and prevent entry of dust or other undesirable material while also serving to a certain extent to prevent leakage of the contents. A fiexible strip 17 which may be made from the same material as strips 15 and 16 or from any other suitable material is secured to one end member of the box by any of the means previously described or by means of a mechanical fastener such as is now to be described. The strip 17 is provided at its free end with an eyelet or grommet 18 adapted to receive an oblong button 19 at the opposite end of the box which button is mounted on a pivot (Fig. 1) for rot-ation thereon so that the oblong eye of the grommet can be slipped over the button and down into a position where it surrounds the similarly shaped projecting portion 21 of the base member 22 which is fastened to the box 90 in any desirable or conventional fashion. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other mechanical fasteners can readily be substituted for the one here shown. 1

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1V and 5 the box is or may be similar to that above described but the locking strip 23 vextends substantially completely around the box, one end being secured at 24e Y to an end wall of the box, either permanently 100 or by means of detachable fastening means and the other end of the strip being secured to the same end of the box by quickly detachable fastening means 25, here shown as of the same character as those in the modification first described, but which obviously may be of any conventional or desirable type. In Fig. 5 the box is merely turned upside down to show that the girth strip QG extends completely around the box and is held in place by a detachable fastening means Q7 which may secure both ends detachably in place or the end of a strip which is underneath may be permanently secured to therbo in any desirable manner while the end which is shown as uppermost may be detachable.

Figs. 6 and 7 show still another form of the invention. In this form the box is or may be as in the figures previously described and the locking strip 28 is similar to that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but two separate girth strips 29 and 30 are here shown, each of which is secured permanently to a wall of the box one end while at the other end it is held in place by detachable fastening means 3l, 3l. It will be seen that the strip 30 can be left in place so as to hold the bottom flaps of the box closed in the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 eren though the girth strip Q9 and the locking strip 28 have been released so as to permit the box to be opened at the top, whereas in the form of Figs. 4 and 5 the bottom flaps are freed when the girth strip 26 is released and in Figs. 1 to 3 the bottom is permanently closed since the locking strip 1G and the girth strip l5 are each permanently fastened to tl ne walls of the box when the same has once been assembled, these parts being permanently secured by adhesive or any of the other well known Ways.

In each of the forms of the invention here illustrated the box has been shown being of the knock-down type. This is not essential but is a matter of convenience for shipping particularly in the case of lightweight containers. The girth members are of advantage in strengthening the box which is desirable where weighty articles are to be shipped in comparatively weak boxes. In such devices as shown in Fig. the upper girth member may be omitted in many cases Where the box is reasonably certain to remain in upright position. Boxes having the girth members releasable as well as the locking strips are particularly desirable where the container is to be returned to the shipper for reuse as is commonly done in the baking industry and in other lines of business, since the container can quickly be folded for shipment at a very low freight classification. This can be done with my container fith little danger of injury, as compared with other containers now in use. The term box has been used in the specification and claims as a matter of convenience of description and not as a term of limitation, since it will be evident that my method of closing and sealing containers is applicable to packages o ous kinds and in various situationf-i. ous changes will also be obvious te thru.` skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown i n the drawings and described in the specification but only as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention what I claim as new and desire to se` cure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A collapsible box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having a pair of flaps secured to side walls thereof, said flaps being shaped to fold down and leave a joint between them, a non-adhesive flexible inelastic closure strip secured-to the box at one end of said joint in position to fold down on the box lengthwise of the joint to seal said joint, a fastener element on the free end of said strip, and a fastener element on the box at the other end of said joint in position to cooperate with said rst-named fastener element to hold said strip taut, substantially as set forth.

2. A collapsi le box whose length is sul stantially greater than its width and depth, said box having a pair of flaps secured to side walls thereof, said flaps being shaped to fold down and leave a joint between them, a iexible inelastic closure strip secured to the box in position to fold down and so cover said joint, a fastener element on the free end of said closure strip, a fastener element on the box at the other end of said joint in position to cooperate with said first-named fastener element to hold said closure strip taut, a flexible girth strip extending crosswise of said joint, and means for securing the ends of said girth strip to walls of the box, substantially as set forth.

3. A box having a pair of fiaps attached to opposite side walls of the same, said flaps folding down toward each other and shaped to leave a joint between their adjacent edges, a flexible inelastic closure strip secured at one end t0 an end member of the box near one end of the joint between the free edges of said flaps, a grommet at the free end of said closure strip, and a rotatable button on the other end of the box fitting an eye of said gronnnet in one position of the button, said button holding said strip in close engagement with said flaps, whereby said joint is sealed by said closure strip, substantially as set forth.

4. A collapsible box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having a pair of top flaps secured to side walls thereof, said flaps being shaped to fold down and leave a joint between them` a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold down upon and so seal said Les.;

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shaped to fold joint, a fastener element on the free end of said strip, a. fastener element on the box at the other end of said joint in position to cooperate with said first-named fastener element to hold said strip taut, a flexible inelastic strip extending crosswise of said joint, said last-named strip being secured to a wall of the box at one end, and quickly-detachable fastening means for securing the other end of said last-named strip to a wall of the box, substantially as set forth.

5. A collapsible box Whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having a pair of top flaps secured to side walls thereof said flaps being shaped to fold down and leave a joint between them, a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold down upon and cover said joint, a fastener element on the free end of said strip, a fastener element on the box at the other end of said joint to cooperate with said first-named fastener element to hold said strip taut, a. flexible inelastic girth strip extending around the box crosswise of said joint, and means for securing the ends of the girth strip to hold said strip tight about the box and reinforce the girth of the box said means including quickly-detachable fastening means for at least one end of the strip, substantially as set forth.

6. A box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps secured to the side walls at top and bottom shaped to fold down and leave longitudinal jo-ints between their adjacent edges at the top and bottom of the box, a flexible strip secured to the box in position to fold around the same and cover both joints, a fastener element on the free end of said strip, and a cooperating fastener element on the box for holding said strip in such position the intermediate portion of the strip being free from the box, substantially as set forth.

7. A box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps secured to the side walls at top and bottom shaped to fold down and leave longitudinal joints between their adjacent edges at the top and bottom of the box, a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold around the same and cover both joints, a fastener eleme-nt on the free end of said strip, a cooperating fastener element on the box for holding said strip in such position, and one or more flexible adhesive girth strips connected at one end of the box and extending crosswise of the same for reinforcing the box, substantially as set forth.

8. A box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps secured to the side walls at top and bottom down and leave longitudinal joints between their adjacent edgesat the top and bottom of the box,.a flexible strip secured to the box in position to fold around the same and cover both joints, a fastener element on the free end of said strip, a cooperat- 9. A box Whose length is substantially' greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps secured to the side walls at top and bottom shaped to fold down and leave longitudinal joints between their adjacent edges at the top and bottoni of the box, a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold down and at least one of said joints, and quickly-detachable means for securing the free end of the strip other end of said joint.

10. A box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps secured to the side walls at top and bottom shaped to fold down and leave longitudinal joints between their adjacent edges at the top and bottom of the box, a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold down and seal the upper joint, quickly-detachable mea-ns to secure the free end of the strip adjacent the other end of the joint, and sealing means secured to the box for sealing the bottom joint, substantially as set forth.

1l. A box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps secured to the side walls at top and bottom shaped to fold down and leave longitudinal joints between their adjacent edges at the top and bottoni of the box, a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold down and seal the upper joint, quickly-detachable means to secure the free end of the strip beyond the end of the joint, sealing means secured to the box for sealing the bottom joint, and a girth strip extending crosswise of a joint and secured to the box for reinforcing the same, substantially as set forth.

12. A box whose length is substantially greater than its width and depth, said box having side and end walls, opposed flaps se cured to the side walls at top and bottom shaped to fold down and leave longitudinal joints between their adjacent edges at the top and bottom of the box, a flexible inelastic strip secured to the box in position to fold down and seal the upper joint, quickly-detachable means to secure the free end of the strip beyond the end of the joint, sealing to the box adjacent the means secured to the box for sealing the bottoni joint, and an adhesive girth strip extending cross-wise of a joint and secured to the box for reinforcing the same, said sealing means and said girth strip sealing the bottom of the box permanently, substantially as set forth.

13. A box blank for a collapsible box coinprising` an endless body portion having fold lines dividing the body portions into two long box side portions and two short box end portions, narrow iiaps extending laterally from opposite edges of each of said. end portions to fold over the contents of the box when set up7 wide iiaps extending laterally from opposite edges of each side portion to fold over said narrow llaps, an inelastic strip secured to one end portion said strip having a gronnnet at one end and being positioned to close the slot between the top flaps of the box, a fastener on the other end of the strip having a rotatable button iitting the eye of said gronnnet in one position oi the button7 an inelastic strip secured along one edge to a lateral bottoni 'lap of the blank in position to close the slot between the two bottoni flaps of the setup box said strip extending at its ends beyond the ends of the Aflaps to which it is secured, and an inelastic strip extending transversely o said last-named bottom flap, said strip being snl'liciently long to extend across the bottoni of the set-np box and upward on its sides for a substantial distance, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix niy signature.

REGINALD VURZBURG. 

